Leaves behind a US marine

Ex-Marine, who worked as a corporate security executive, was convicted of espionage.

Talks on freeing former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan from prison in Russia are continuing

Why wasn't Whelan included in the prisoner swap? Speaking in the White House Oval Office as he announced Ms Griner's release, Mr Biden said that "sadly and for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul's case differently than Brittney's".

Is he potentially a bad boy?

After a court-martial conviction in January 2008 on multiple counts "related to larceny", he was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and a bad conduct discharge. The specific charges against him included "attempted larceny, three specifications of dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, wrongfully using another’s social security number, and ten specifications of making and uttering checks without having sufficient funds in his account for payment."

According to the Russian news agency Rosbalt [ru], Whelan was apprehended in his hotel room at the Metropol while concluding a long outing with a Russian citizen, who handed him a USB drive containing "a list of all the employees at a classified security agency". The independent Latvian-based publication Meduza reported that the wedding attendees all banded close together for the duration of the holiday, and were taken aback by Whelan's decision to spend the day alone.

Do we know why Russia won't release him?

No

Is it Biden's fault Russia won't release him?

What do you think? (rhetorical question because the answer is bloody obvious)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/08/who-is-paul-whelan/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-ex-marine-whelan-still-russian-custody-swap-talks-continue-lawyer-cited-by-2022-12-08/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46757119

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Whelan_(security_director)

THAT SAID: trading her for one of the most notorious and capable arms dealers is strange, if we also consider other potential arrangements for other prisoners: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/zfyfhc/wnba_star_brittney_griner_released_from_russian